We're calling both the pitching match-up and the splits with the sticks a wash. Tampa Bay owns a fairly solid advantage in the comparison of the bullpens, but it's not enough to warrant a price like -135. We won't be surprised if this ALCS goes six or seven games, so we like the baseball betting value with Houston for this Game 2.

Darvish gets the check-mark in the pitching match-up, but the White Sox own edges in the splits with the sticks and in the bullpen comparison. Plus, the Cubs could be without a couple of key bats at the top of their lineup. We like the White Sox here at the home dog price.

We'll give the Dodgers the edges in the pitching match-up and with the sticks, and that would usually necessitate a play on LA. However, circumstances require a re-think; the Dodgers really have nothing to play for at the moment and seem likely to rest some starters for these last few regular-season games. Oakland, on the other hand, is still playing for playoff seeding. And motivation can mean everything. So we like the A's at the underdog price for our free MLB pick in this spot.

We give Woodruff a short edge in the pitching match-up, based mainly on recent track records against these opponents. And while Cincinnati might own the edge with the sticks, Milwaukee holds the edge in the bullpen comparison. So we like the Brewers at the underdog price for our free MLB pick for Monday.

We give Hendricks the edge in the pitching match-up, but Minnesota has advantages with the sticks and the bullpen comparison. So we like the Twins at the underdog price for our free MLB pick for Friday.

We give Berrios the edge in the pitching match-up while calling both the splits with the sticks and the bullpen comparisons pushes. So the line on this game looks about right. But the Sox are hot, and we often like the betting value with home underdogs. So we're taking the ChiSox for our free MLB pick for Monday.

We're calling this pitching match-up a push, and while San Diego might own slight edges in the splits with the sticks and in the bullpen comparison, they're not enough to warrant so high a price. We like the baseball betting value here with the underdog Giants.

We're giving Lopez the edge in the pitching match-up but Atlanta gets the check-marks in the splits with the sticks and in the bullpen comparison. And the Braves will do everything they can to avoid the sweep. We'll take Atlanta for our free MLB pick for Wednesday.

We're giving Davies the edge in the pitching match-up, and while Oakland owns the advantage in the bullpen comparison, San Diego gets the check-mark with the sticks. Plus, the Padres are getting a nice underdog price. We like San Diego for our free MLB pick for Friday.

All things considered, it looks like the oddsmakers had this game pegged about right when they opened it at a pick 'em. The pitching match-up is about a wash; the Yanks might own an edge with the sticks, but they're missing three, and while Tampa might hold the better bullpen numbers, New York just got a couple of guys back. Ultimately, the early betting action on the Yankees, now favored by a buck and quarter, offers to us what looks like good betting value with the underdog Rays.

Chicago is hot, Minnesota is not, and intersecting trends like that mean a lot to us when handicapping baseball games. We'll play the ChiSox for our free MLB pick for Monday.

Paddack started well this season but is struggling as of late, which is why we're calling this pitching match-up a push. But we give San Diego the edges in the splits with the sticks and in the bullpen comparison. So we like the Padres for our free MLB pick for Sunday.

Kershaw's been tough his last two times out, so we give him the check-mark in the pitching match-up. We also give LA a short edge with the sticks and a significant edge in the bullpen comparison, despite what happened Tuesday night. So we like the Dodgers here. But we don't like that price. So in knowing Los Angeles will bat nine times, we'll play LA against the run line.

We'll call this pitching match-up a push, and while the Twins own an edge with the sticks, the Indians hold the advantage in the bullpen comparison. Ultimately, after Minnesota took the first series between these teams three weeks ago, we like Cleveland to return the favor in this series. So we like the home-standing Indians for our free MLB pick for Monday.

We'll call the pitching match-up a push, but we give the White Sox edges in the splits with the sticks and in the bullpen comparison. So we're betting the South Siders for our free MLB pick for Friday.

Arizona might own a slight edge in the pitching match-up, but Oakland holds an edge in the bullpen comparison. So this game is lined about right, according to our main handicapping factors. But we do believe the A's are the better and more complete team, and they're on a roll, coming from behind to win games late. We like Oakland here for our free MLB pick for Monday.

Civale owns the edge in the pitching match-up, but the Indians just aren't scoring any runs. Meanwhile, we believe Detroit is on the improve under Gardenhire. The Tigers may not be able to continue to play above .500 for the full 60 games this season, but they're a live dog here. We'll take the home-dog price. 

We're gonna give Davies a slight edge in the pitching match-up, based on his numbers against LA last year. And while the Dodgers might own advantages with the sticks and in the bullpen comparison, those are not enough to justify a price so high. So we like the betting value with underdog San Diego here.

We're gonna give Davies a slight edge in the pitching match-up, based on his numbers against LA last year. And while the Dodgers might own advantages with the sticks and in the bullpen comparison, those are not enough to justify a price so high. So we like the betting value with underdog San Diego here.